The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for conveying a substrate. The disclosure also relates to a system for printing on a substrate.
The conveying of substrates using automated processing or industrial manufacturing is a particular technical challenge. Part of the challenge lies in moving a substrate from one processing station to the next processing station during the manufacturing process. A processing station can be, for example, a station for punching, cutting, folding or in particular a station for printing.
It is a further challenge to convey the substrate such that it is provided to a processing station or is conveyed past a processing station in the best possible manner. At the same time, the conveying speed or the processing speed must not suffer, since this would result in a manufacturing throughput that is too low.
A further challenge is given, if the substrate has no auto stability or inherent stability, meaning it can be easily deformed and, in particular, does not have internal restoring forces to return to its original shape. Examples for such substrates are sheets of paper, thin plastics, textile materials and leather. While substrates with an inherent stability can be conveyed rather easily, substrates without an inherent stability have to be guided well in order to avoid deformation.
It is an object provide an apparatus for conveying a substrate which allows for a good guiding of a substrate at a good processing speed and which allows for conveying substrates without an inherent stability. It is a further object to provide a corresponding system for printing on a substrate using such apparatus.